Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 324: Traveling miles a day, vowing to keep Longyou safe

In late autumn in Longyou, it gets dark especially early and the temperature drops as the sun sets.

In the river valley, Zhang Yu stood on a high place with his sword in hand, taking in the entire situation.

Yan Xing's troops were overwhelmed by the horses, and the infantry and cavalry were defeated. Zhang Xiu led his cavalry to encircle Cheng Yi's troops and cooperated with Xu Chu to defeat them.

The two armies at the rear were both badly defeated. Both generals put up a stubborn resistance for a while before charging out with their troops and escaping into the mountains with the remaining troops.

"Sir, our army has won a great victory, and we have captured more than 5,000 people!"

Zhang Liao quickly climbed up the mountain and said with a smile, "Because it is dark today, the two generals rushed out and it is difficult for our army to pursue them."

Zhang Yu only nodded slightly and asked, "Do you know where Han Sui retreated to? How far is it from here?"

"According to what Liao learned from interrogating the surrendered people, although Han Sui went north to Changli River, he wanted to go to Xingguo to find food, and then turn to Zuli River, intending to go to Jincheng from Zuli River." Zhang Liao said.

"Where is the map of Longyou?"

"exist!"

Xue Xia took out a map from the leather tube on his back and considerately unfolded it for Zhang Yu. Using the little remaining light in the sky, he pointed out several locations that Zhang Liao had mentioned.

Xue Xia said: "Xingguo is inhabited by Di people, whose king is Agui. When Han Sui raised an army this time, Agui sent Di soldiers to help him. Because Di people are good at farming, they adopted Han customs and built Xingguo City. This city is strong and is where Di people gather. It is three or four hundred miles away from Jincheng. Now Hulukou is more than two hundred miles away from Xingguo!"

Zhang Yu looked at the map of Longyou and said thoughtfully, "We will set up camp first, and then call all the civil and military officials to discuss matters!"

"As ordered!"

As it was getting dark, Zhang Yu's troops hastily built a camp with simple tents. However, because it was a victory and they had broken through the enemy's formation, the soldiers had meat to eat, and the aroma of meat filled the valley camp.

Inside the big tent, Zhang Yu mixed horse meat soup with Hu pancakes to satisfy his hunger, and then summoned civil and military officials to discuss matters.

After a while, Jia Xu, Xun You, Zhang Liao, Zhang Ji, Gao Shun and other civil and military officials all came into the tent. After taking their seats, they bowed and greeted Zhang Yu.

"Your Majesty!"

Zhang Yu motioned to everyone to stop being polite and said, "According to the surrendered people, Han Sui wants to go to Xingguo and return to Jincheng from Zulishui. Now it is more than 200 miles to Xingguo. I want to kill Han Sui and go to Longyou. I wonder what you think?"

"Xingguo is a strong city, and Han Sui's elite troops are still there. If we rush to Xingguo now, we will not be able to take it down immediately, and we may be defeated by Han Sui." Zhang Ji hesitated and said, "Your Excellency, please wait for the baggage to be transported north, and then pursue Jincheng further."

"No!"

Zhang Yu objected, saying, "In the past, Zhang Wen traveled a long way to attack Jincheng, but was unable to take Yuzhong, and his food supply route was intercepted by the rebels, which resulted in the loss of troops and the destruction of the country. Now that winter is approaching, how can we repeat the same old thing?"

"My lord, if Xingguo is difficult to conquer, we might as well attack the Qiang people in Changli. Most of the Qiang people in Changli serve Han Sui, and the Qiang King Yang Qianwan is in the army. Our army might as well turn around and attack the Qiang people in Changli. If Han Sui orders the Qiang people to guard Changli, they will be isolated. If they rescue Changli, they will have to fight with our army in the field, and perhaps we can defeat Han Sui in one fell swoop." Xun You said after hesitating for a while.

"otherwise!"

Jia Xu shook his head and retorted, "Han Sui has defeated you twice, so he is afraid of you. Now that you are attacking Changli, Han Sui may let the Qiang in Changli defend themselves, and he will lead his troops to Jincheng. Han Sui has won the hearts of the Qiang people, and Jincheng is close to Qiangzhong (Hehuang Valley). Now that the Qiang in Changli are scattered, there are still Qiang tribes in Qiangzhong that can be recruited."

"In my opinion, if you want to pacify Longyou, you must destroy Han Sui!" Jia Xu said.

Xun You's suggestion to attack the Qiang tribes in Changli was actually in line with tactical thinking, attacking the place where they must rescue and forcing Han Sui to come to the rescue. However, Jia Xu was familiar with the situation in Longyou and Han Sui, so he could see the essence of the matter better.

Although most of the troops under Han Sui's command were composed of the Changli Qiang, the Qiang tribes in Longyou were not limited to the Changli Qiang. Especially in the Hehuang Valley, there were many Qiang tribes.

Han Sui had no intention of fighting Zhang Yu, but was determined to withdraw to Jincheng. How could he give up withdrawing his troops just because of the Changli Qiang? Therefore, for Han Sui, if the Changli Qiang betrayed him, the worst that could happen was that he would send people to recruit the Qiang tribe in the Hehuang Valley, and at least get tens of thousands more people.

"What Wenhe said really hits my mark!"

Zhang Yu stood up from his stool, held his sword and paced back and forth, saying: "Our army defeated the enemy at lightning speed, and Han Sui will not be able to react. This place is more than 200 miles away from Xingguo. I will lead elite infantry and cavalry to launch a surprise attack. We can reach Xingguo in one day and one night, and catch Han Sui off guard, and perhaps we can capture and defeat him."

"Two hundred miles of raiding day and night?"

Jia Xu was shocked. He suggested Zhang Yu to attack Han Sui, but he didn't mean to ask Zhang Yu to pursue him desperately. After traveling 200 miles a day to reach Xingguo, let alone fighting, he would probably be exhausted to death!
"Your Excellency has marched two hundred miles, and I'm afraid your soldiers are too exhausted to fight!" Jia Xu said cryptically, out of consideration for Zhang Yu's face.

Zhang Yu waved his hand to reject Jia Xu's proposal and said, "Based on the speed, Han Sui's troops have not yet reached Xingguo. If we pursue them now, we should gain something. If Han Sui sees our pursuers approaching, he will be frightened and run away if he is timid. Besides, how can we keep the enemy for nine months and defeat them again in ten months!"

Jia Xu and Xun You looked at each other secretly, and both felt that Zhang Yu was too hasty in deploying troops. However, considering that Zhang Yu had always been independent in deploying troops, the two of them could not say much.

"All the mounts under Tuli's command have been destroyed. You will lead your troops to stay in the camp tomorrow and wait for Cheng Pu to lead the troops to transport the baggage!" Zhang Yu said, "Gongda and Wenhe, we will attack tomorrow and it may be difficult for you two to follow us, so stay with the army!"

"As ordered!"

Jia Xu might be able to withstand the high-intensity rush, but Xun You really couldn't. For the sake of his advisers' health, Zhang Yu didn't dare to let the two of them go with him.

Then, Zhang Yu looked at the generals in the tent and asked, "Are your troops afraid of a long journey of two hundred miles?"

Gao Shun stepped out with his head held high, bowed and said, "The troops protecting the country are not afraid of more than 200 miles, and I am willing to fight for you tomorrow." Zhang Liao said in a deep voice, "The troops have been trained for many days and will be used in one moment. It will not hurt their spirit to break the formation today. The infantry and cavalry under the Liao tent are in high spirits, and I am willing to serve you."

"My Xiongnu army can travel three hundred miles day and night. We have nothing to fear from a mere two hundred miles!" Huochuquan responded.

……

Seeing that the generals were in high spirits and the army was ready to fight, Zhang Yu was delighted and said, "Each army should select the best infantry and cavalry and have them all ride on horses to attack. Tomorrow, regardless of the horsepower, we will defeat Han Sui and return."

"Yes, sir!" The morale of the generals was high.

After a night of selecting elite soldiers, Zhang Yu left 5,000 soldiers in Hulu Valley to guard the soldiers captured yesterday.

On the 23rd, when it was still dim, Zhang Yu, who had hardly slept all night, led 15,000 infantry and cavalry to pursue Han Sui along the route he had taken.

When Zhang Yu defeated Yan Xing yesterday, Han Sui was only about 60 miles away from Yan Xing, but Zhang Yu did not know it yesterday. Now when he arrived at Han Sui's camp, Zhang Yu knew where Han Sui had camped last night.

"Sir, Han Sui must have camped here last night!"

Zhao Yun pointed with his whip at the camp where traces of the army's life were left and said.

"Shut up!"

Zhang Yu grabbed the reins, full of regret, and said, "If I had known that Han Sui had set up camp here yesterday, I would have led my troops to pursue him overnight."

"Sir, the bonfires are still bright, so his soldiers should not have gone far. If we pursue them vigorously today, we will surely catch up with Han Sui." Zhang Liao rode out of the camp and said.

"Chase!"

Zhang Yu spurred his horse and pursued at all costs.

Between the hills and ridges on the Huanglong Mountains, a cavalry column stretching for miles was chasing along the river valley road, with flags rustling. Because it was a high-intensity pursuit, the riders held the reins with their hands, stepped on the stirrups, and had their buttocks in the air in order to save energy.

"Whoosh!"

As the vanguard, Zhang Xiu led the way. When he met the lagging Long soldiers, he shot them to death with an arrow without hesitation, and then continued to pursue them along the road.

When the Long soldiers saw Zhang Xiu's troops pursuing them, they fled in panic like frightened birds. However, Zhang Xiu's cavalry followed closely behind them, nipping at the enemy's tail.

"kill!"

Perhaps because they were chasing too closely, the Qiang cavalrymen raised their spears and returned to fight. Seeing that there were more than a hundred Qiang cavalrymen returning to fight, Zhang Xiu led his cavalrymen to rush forward and fight with them. The cavalry generals behind Zhang Xiu ignored the battlefield and led the cavalrymen to continue chasing forward.

"Fighting will not hinder pursuit!"

Before setting out, Zhang Yu gave orders to the pursuing troops that unless they encountered a large force that required a fierce battle, the remaining small groups of troops should be dealt with by the leading vanguard.

Previously, Zhao Yun was the vanguard, but because of the fighting, the journey was delayed, so he was replaced by Zhang Liao. After Zhang Liao, it was Zhang Yu, and after Zhang Yu, it was Qin Yilu, and so on. Almost every cavalry general would play the role of vanguard.

Zhang Yu led his troops in pursuit from the morning when he found Han Sui's camp until the afternoon, and the troops chased and killed almost all the way. The Long army, which had been deserted before, gradually became more numerous under Zhang Yu's pursuit, and the fighting became more intense. They fought nearly ten times in a row and ran for more than a hundred miles. Zhang Yu and his men did not drink a drop of water and killed one or two thousand enemy soldiers.

As for the civilians who were transporting food and fodder for Han Sui, Zhang Yu captured more than 10,000 people and released them on the spot. Now they were getting closer and closer to Han Sui's main force.

When Zhang Yu was chasing him, Han Sui was troubled by Zhang Yu's pursuit.
Han Sui fled on horseback and said to Song Jian, "Yan Xing and Cheng Yi have fled, and now Zhang Yu is desperate. If we don't leave troops behind to buy time, we may not be able to reach Xingguo."

Song Jian looked back from time to time and said, "I wonder who will be left to guard the rear!"

Han Sui said bluntly, "Since the battle with Zhang Yu, I and the Qiang have lost many soldiers and horses, and Boli only has a thousand cavalry. Now, for the sake of the army's future, Boli is asked to lead several thousand soldiers to guard the rear."

Agui, the king of the Di people in Xingguo, said to Song Jian, "If we go to Xingguo, I can get support from the people. If we hold the strategic point, we can take Zhang Yu. If the king of Song does not cover the rear, then I will be the only one who can cover the rear."

Song Jian's face was gloomy. Considering that he had not contributed much and now everyone wanted him to send troops, he had no choice but to agree.

"In that case, I'll trouble you all to support us at the front!" Song Jian said.

Agui pointed to the steep Madou Ridge in front and said, "Madou Ridge is steep, with steep cliffs and deep ravines. It is backed by a big mountain and has a spring inside. It is the throat of Zuli River. If you lead your troops to occupy this ridge, you will be able to delay Zhang Yu's troops. And in the back of Madou Ridge, there is a small path that leads to Xingguo. If the King of Song is defeated, he can take the small path."

"good!"

Song Jian signaled his subordinates to wave the military flags, released the elite troops led by his nephew Song Kun, and took 4,000 old and weak men to climb up Madouling to defend it.

Soon, Zhang Yu, as the vanguard, arrived at Madouling. Seeing that there were soldiers defending it, he stopped his advance and wanted to break through Madouling and pursue Han Sui!

"All of you dismount your horses and follow me up the mountain to attack!"

ps: There will be three updates tomorrow to make up for the overdue chapters.

(End of this chapter)